The rest of dinner is just as torturous, but we survive. My father invites us to stay for a movie, but I can't wait to get out of that house and decline as politely as I can. God, this reminds me why I was so eager for law school and why I spent as much of my childhood as possible away from home.
My father looks disappointed, but he gives me a kiss and Olivia a firm handshake as we put on our coats to leave.
"I'll see you next week, Alexandra," says my mother, giving me air kisses; her general way of saying hello and goodbye. "It was nice meeting you, Olivia."
Olivia smiles uneasily. "It was nice meeting you too, Mrs. Cabot."
"Hopefully we'll be seeing more of you in the future," comments my father with an impish smile. My mother shoots him an icy glare and I cringe inwardly.
I grab Olivia's arm and half-drag her out of there. I want to get as far away as possible as quickly as I can.
Raising my arm to hail a cab, Olivia and I climb into the backseat. I give the driver my address and lean my head against the window. In unison, Olivia and I sigh in relief, then glance at each other in amusement.
"Well," she says with a sardonic smile. "That was fun."
I groan. "Are you still jealous, Liv?"
She shakes her head emphatically. "This is one of the rare occasions where I am thankful my mother is – was – the way she was."
"Really?" I ask in surprise. "I, for one, would rather be suffocated than ignored. And I know firsthand how smothering parents can be."
Olivia shrugs. "Sometimes solitude can be lonely, but sometimes it's tranquil."
I raise my eyebrows, but I can kind of see what she means. Still, I'm sure Olivia's childhood was traumatic for her. From what little she's told me, I gather that she took care of herself since the age of two, and I know for a fact that her mother was a violent drunk who used to beat her when intoxicated. But I guess that for her, as horrible and lonely as she was by herself, it must have been even worse when her mother was there. As overbearing as my mother is, at least I know she loves me.
Olivia's voice cuts into my thoughts. Quirking her lips into that patented impish grin, she says, "Now I'll truly have something to tease you about for the rest of your life."
I roll my eyes. I guess I'm never going to live that one down!
We ride in silence. When we reach my apartment, I hand the cab driver a twenty and tell him to keep the change. Then I turn to Olivia. "Do you want to come up to my apartment, stay awhile?"
She raises her eyebrows in amusement. "Thought you would have had enough of me by now."
"I'm not my mother," I remind her, disdain evident in my voice.
"I know. But still, we bear the burden of our parents' sins."
Her wisdom is profound but at the same time completely irrelevant. At first, I wonder what she means by that. Then I wonder whether she's referring to me or to herself.
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